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Doop ([info]xdoop) wrote in [info]scans_daily,
@ 2009-06-12 20:49:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:char: dr. doom/kristoff vernard, char: dr. doom/victor von doom, char: human torch/johnny storm, char: invisible woman/susan storm, char: mr. fantastic/reed richards, char: the thing/ben grimm, char: zorba, creator: doug moench, creator: jack kirby, creator: joe sinnott, creator: john byrne, creator: keith pollard, creator: marv wolfman, creator: tom sutton, group: fantastic four, publisher: marvel comics, title: fantastic four

The rise and fall of Prince Zorba


We first meet Zorba in Fantastic Four #198, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott.

Reed gets shot down as he's trying to invade Doom's Latverian castle.










Reed knocks the guards out and lowers the drawbridge.




Reed stretches himself so he looks like Hauptmann and tries sneaking up on Doom, but Doom realizes who he is and knocks him out.


In #199...




Meanwhile, Reed escapes and manages to free the rest of the Four.
















And in #200...

The cover is by Jack Kirby.







Later, one of Doom's guards tells him that Zorba is leading a revolt.






The Fantastic Four escape, and Reed stops the machine creating the whirlwinds.


Ben finds Alicia (who Doom was having work on his statue).


Reed goes after Doom, while the rest of the Four fly to the UN.

Doom locks Reed into his "Murder Room," with various deathtraps.




Doom receives the signal and goes to activate the solartron, leaving Reed alone.


Reed attacks Doom, placing a device on his armor that short-circuits it. Doom tries reaching the controls of the solartron...



The U.N. delegates start to attack the three.

Meanwhile, Reed breaks free from the ice.



Say my name, bitch!






Reed stops the device, freeing the delegates from Doom's control.



Doom and Zorba's story continues in Fantastic Four Annual #15. It's written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Tom Sutton.









Hauptmann arrives and tells them that Zorba discovered that Doom is missing, and that the operation must be performed that night.

Borgo and his men go to retrieve Doom's armor, which Hauptmann needs to revive Doom.




Zorba goes to check on the armor, but the place is gassed by Borgo's men.




Hauptmann starts to get ready for the final phase of the operation.






Then, in John Byrne's Fantastic Four #246...




And the story concludes in Fantastic Four #247.








A woman runs out of her home, crying "Kristoff! No! Not Kristoff! Do not kill my son!"


The Fantastic Four are shocked to see the woman's reaction. Sue asks Reed if they've made a terrible mistake, but the Thing thinks it's a set-up.



Kristoff's mother tells how Doom was ousted and replaced with Zorba.




Doom and the Fantastic Four destroy the robots. Then more villagers arrive.


Inside a tavern, which the the Thing notices used be the headquarters of the Latverian resistance, Doom tells one of the villagers to "put the woman's body someplace safe. I swear I shall see Zorba pay for her murder."







As the killer robots flood the streets, Doom and the four fight them off. After they're gone, the Thing notices Doom is gone.




Doom returns  to the Fantastic Four and tells them that Zorba is no longer the king of Latveria, and that the crown is his.  He tells the team to leave, warning them that the next time they meet he will destroy them.

And we see Doom dealing with the aftermath of Zorba's reign in Fantastic Four #258.






(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]psychop_rex
2009-06-13 02:37 am UTC (link)
It seems to me that Zorba went a little too quickly from well-meaning revolutionary to maniacal dictator - he should have been given another few issues for the transition. (Oh, and the little rat-faced Nazi guy was just over the top - he should have been left out entirely.) That being said, this is a pretty cool storyline. Various writers have written Latveria in various different ways, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the right way to do it - depicting it as a happy, prosperous place to live. One could argue that this diminishes Doom's status as arch-villain of the MU, but I would disagree - I would say it enhances that status, as it adds a layer of complexity to his character. It's easy to depict Doom as an evil tyrant, thereby reducing his character to a cliche, but by keeping his numerous flaws while emphasizing his good qualities, we have a far more interesting sort of villain. As shown this way, what Doom's doing WORKS. He may be a megalomaniacal mad scientist with designs on conquering the world, but he's obviously pretty hot stuff as a ruler if he's managed to make his country this good of a place to live. And if it works, then what of his world-conquering ambitions? If he used Latveria as the standard model for what a country should be like, then one could argue that his ruling the world might actually be a good thing - and this places a seed of doubt in the minds of the heroes who fight him. They have seen the real him, the terrible things that he is capable of. They know that Doom is a bitter, dangerous, arrogant man, at the very least seriously misguided, quite possibly outright evil. And yet... and yet there is that little seed in their minds, and as long as Latveria continues to maintain its high standards of living, it will remain there. That element of ambiguity is, to me, far more interesting than a simple black and white situation, and that is one of the main reasons why the character has stayed relevant all these years. Sure, I can enjoy a Doom written as absolute evil, but I'd much prefer to have that seed - that's what keeps me coming back.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]wyatt1048
2009-06-13 04:05 am UTC (link)
Yes, Doom's real power should be doubt - because any hero who doesn't question themselves slips too easily into totalitarianism. Of course, the fact that he would never doubt himself only provides a good counterpoint, in the hands of a decent writer. I always prefer villains who can utterly destroy heroes with a polite conversation.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]broblawsky
2009-06-13 09:42 am UTC (link)
That's kind of a double-standard, isn't it? Doom never questions himself, and yet he isn't a dictator.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]cricharddavies
2009-06-13 02:32 pm UTC (link)

... what color is the sky in your world?!? Doom isn't a dictator? He's the definition of a dictator!

(Reply to this) (Parent)


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